The Tri-Lite

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Arthur Yue Johan Santana makes the Mets instant favorites to win the NL East.

I will say this now and will never mention this again, and you can quote me on this. "Jimmy Rollins never deserved that MVP he won last year." Yes I said it Phillies fans. The only reason he got MVP was his little spring training prediction that the Phillies will win the East, and they did. He had his first good season number wise, and that was the only one. Now firing back is the New York Mets, saying they will win the National League East. Center fielder Carlos Beltran fired back at Rollins comments last year, saying the Mets will win the NL East. Buckle your seat belts baseball fans, its going to be a bumpy ride this year in the NL East.
The NL East has plenty of fire power, especially between three teams. It came down to the last game in 2007 to declare the undisputed champ of the East. It's a very competitive division, and here is a sneak peek of things to come. The division features the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, and the Washington Nationals. All teams play the game well, making the division the most competitive in the league. It features many all stars and great fans. Sit back and as Terrell Owens says: "Getcha Popcorn Ready!"
The Phillies feature a potent line up who can score a ton of runs anytime anywhere. Rollins leads off the pack and is followed by run producers Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Shane "Flyin Hawaiian" Victorino is also at the top of the line up and now plays center field; in replace of the departed fan favorite Aaron Rowand. I am still not sold on Victorino, he has speed yes, but I just don't believe he will have a large impact. After the dangerous Utley and Howard is the most inconsistent athlete in the game of baseball, left fielder Pat Burrell. He's a hit and miss guy, who will hit one year and then hit nothing the next. If my calculations are correct, he should hit nothing in 2008. The Phils feature a decent starting pitching rotation with young Cole Hamels and Brett Myers. From there you can't feel too confident with Kyle Kendrick, old timer Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton. Their bullpen got an upgrade with former Astro Brad Lidge, but does he have the stuff to compete anymore. No doubt the Phils can play ball, but should they feel too confident defending their throne this year?

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